National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy
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National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (NaUKMA) (Ukrainian: Національний університет «Києво-Могилянська академія» (НаУКМА), Natsional'nyi universytet "Kyyevo-Mohylians'ka akademiya") is a public, coeducational research university located in Kyiv, Ukraine. The Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, the school's predecessor, was established in 1632 making NaUKMA the oldest institute of tertiary education in modern-day Ukraine. The university is located on the Academy's grounds in the ancient Podil neighborhood. In 1991, it was re-organized, and teaching began the following year. NaUKMA has the highest level of accreditation as outlined by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.[4] The institution is bilingual in English and Ukrainian.[5] NaUKMA takes part in numerous international university collaborations, and is a member of the European University Association.[6][7][8]
HistoryKyiv-Mohyla Academy
Image:Emblematic sheet Kyiv Mohyla Academy1.JPG
Emblematic sheet dedicated to the rector Prokopiy Kolachynskyi. Engraving by Inokentiy Shchyrskyi, 1705.
The predecessor of NaUKMA, the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, was one of the oldest academic and theological schools among Orthodox Christian East European countries. The Academy was first opened in 1615 as Kyiv Brotherhood School. In 1632 the Kyiv Brotherhood and Lavra schools merged into the Kyiv-Mohyla Collegium (in Latin: Collegium Kijovense Mohileanum). The Collegium was named Mohyla after Petro Mohyla, the proponent of Western educational standards at the institution. In 1658 the Collegium became an Academy under the terms of the Treaty of Hadiach and in 1701 the Russian tsar agreed to the ascendancy[clarify] of the institution.[9] The institution educated the Ukrainian political and intellectual elite in the 17th and 18th centuries, and it was highly acclaimed throughout Eastern Europe with students coming from Poland, Russia, Belarus, Moldavia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece. Due to the exceptional quality of the language program, the students often continued their education abroad, which required many to convert from Orthodox Christian to Roman Catholicism. However, upon their return, they returned to their Orthodox roots in order to attain positions in the clergy or academia. In this way, the Academy played an important role in transmitting Renaissance ideals from Western Europe to Ukraine and Russia.[10][11] The Kyiv-Mohyla Academy was supported by the Zaporozhian Cossack Hetmans.[12] Hetmans were the highest military leaders, second only to the monarch. The school flourished under the term of Hetman Ivan Mazepa, an almnus. However, it was closed in 1817 by Alexander I of Russia. In response, alumni of the Academy made numerous unsuccessful petitions to the Tsar to turn Kyiv Mohyla Academy into a university. Instead, in 1819 Kiev Theological Academy, a purely clerical institution, was opened. During the Soviet Union era, the theological academy was closed, its library plundered, and the main church of the school, the Bohoyavlensky cathedral was destroyed. In its place, a military school was developed and today a university building still bears a mosaic portraying a military ship with the words of Vladimir Lenin as a remembrance of the school's totalitarian past. Reestablishment as a modern universityImage:NaUKMA seal transp2.PNG
Seal of the old Kyiv Mohyla Academy.
Image:Mosaic on building one.JPG
Mosaic on NaUKMA building portraying Soviet state symbols and aphorisms by Vladimir Lenin: "To study, to study, to study..." and "Party - the mind, the honor and consciousness of our epoch". This mosaic replaced the image of an open Bible present at the Kyiv Theological Academy.
In 1991, following the fall of the U.S.S.R., Kyiv-Mohyla Academy was reestablished with the assistance of Vyacheslav Bryukhovetskiy, who became the first president of NaUKMA.[1] The returned institution was modeled on the North American post-secondary system and Bachelor's and Master's degrees were offered according to a credits system. The first students matriculated in 1992 and the school saw its first six graduates in 1995.[13] In order to establish continuity between the two century long break and today, a Research Center "Legacy of Kyiv Mohyla Academy" was founded.[14] NaUKMA also initiated the revival of another historical National Ukrainian educational institution the Ostroh Academy.[15] NaUKMA is notable for being the first university to openly protest against the massive electoral frauds during the Ukrainian presidential election, 2004.[16] After those events a museum dedicated to the Orange Revolution was opened at NaUKMA. Claims on continuity of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy traditionsExcept NaUKMA, there are two modern theological schools, which also claim the continuity of the old Kyiv-Mohyla Academy academic tradition. These are Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) and Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kiev Patriarchate).[17][18] AcademicsProfile
NaUKMA holds the highest accreditation level given by Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and is organized similar to North American post-secondary institutions.[4] The academic year is on a trimester system with the longer fall and spring trimesters including an extra week of independent study which is aimed to assist students needing to catch up with their coursework, write papers and prepare for exams. During undergraduate study students have an academic major and can choose either a minor or electives.[19] Each course is assigned a number of credits based on credit hours and grading is done on a 100 point scale.[20] NaUKMA Bachelor degree holders can continue their studies in any of the Master programs at the university.[21] Graduate academic programmes leading to a Master of Business Administration, Candidate of Science (PhD) and Doctor of Science are also offered at NaUKMA.[22][23][24] Image:NaUKMA today.JPG
Main entrance to the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy
NaKUMA is a bilingual institution with Ukrainian and English being the languages of instruction, although the primary means of communication is Ukrainian.[5] The university offers business courses in English to the general public, in partnership with Grant MacEwan College of Edmonton, Canada.[25] Furthermore, NaUKMA organizes a yearly summer school in Ukrainian studies for international students. Similar to other public universities in Ukraine, students receive modest monthly scholarship payments from the government. The amount varies according to the student's grades in the previous trimester. Additionally, a number of private scholarships are given to the best students on a merit system.[26] Further, students are rewarded scholarship monies for their social activities, thus awards are given to those who make the greatest contribution to the revival of NaUKMA or to those who excel in the promotion of Ukrainian language and culture. NaUKMA is a state university and governed by the Supervising Board appointed by the Government of Ukraine. The highest university official is the President of NaUKMA, who is currently Prof. Serhiy M. Kvit.[27] Education and research at the university are coordinated by the Scientific Board. Several public bodies consult the management of the university. These include the International Consulting Board, Board of Trustees, Student Council and Arts Board.[28] AdmissionsAdmission to NaUKMA is open for both Ukrainian and international applicants.[29][30] Admission is granted to those who score the highest on the entrance examination. Entrance exams are administered as multiple choice tests covering several subjects including Ukrainian, English, law, mathematics, NaKUMA history, humanities (literature or history) and one of the natural sciences (physics, chemistry or biology) with the tests being machine scored. The admissions procedure was introduced in order to stem alleged corruption in the admission process. Admission tests are considered challenging and cover a broader range of subjects than the typical entrance examinations held at the majority of other universities in Ukraine.[31] The university also has a Department of Preuniversity Training, which organizes test preparation courses for prospective students as well as trial testing sessions.[32][33] ReputationIn 2007, NaUKMA was ranked third among the Ukrainian universities by the Zerkalo Nedeli newspaper.[34] In 2007 and 2006, Kyiv Mohyla Academy was ranked third in Ukraine by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.[35][36] A 2005 ranking Best universities of Ukraine as seen by employers made by Korrespondent.net also placed NaUKMA in third place.[37] Kyiv Mohyla Business School was ranked as the best business school in Ukraine in 2007 by the Delovoy magazine.[38] Institutions associated with NaUKMAFollowing reestablishment, NaUKMA has been active in the revival and founding of institutions sharing a common vision of educational standards. Thus, NaUKMA assisted with the development of the National University of Ostroh Academy, the T. Shevchenko Kremenets Pedagogical Institute, and the Petro Mohyla Mykolayiv State University until they became separate universities. However, these schools still share a common admissions system with NaUKMA. Moreover, NaUKMA is an umbrella institution for a network of high schools throughout Ukraine called the collegiums.[39] The curricula of collegiums are organized in a way to prepare the students to the NaUKMA entrance tests. The university publishing house "Kyiv-Mohyla Academy", which specializes in publishing scientific and educational literature in Ukrainian, is situated on campus of NaUKMA.[40] ResearchScience at NaUKMA is organized into six faculties, twenty nine departments and twenty four research centers.[41] A yearly scientific conference Dni nauky NaUKMA (The Days of Science at NaUKMA) takes place in the last week of January.[42] NaUKMA academics focuses their research in the fields of economics, law and humanities, however other areas of research are also present.[43] Many faculty members hold permanent positions at the research institutes of the National Academy of Science of Ukraine and NaUKMA students are allowed to use its facilities for scientific and educational purposes. LibrariesThe library of the old Kyiv Mohyla Academy contained a notable collection of books. However, these stacks were plundered in 1920s when the academy was closed.[44] Currently the university administration focuses on creating a research library equipped to modern standards. In addition to the central undergraduate library there is a number of department libraries as well as reading halls for research and periodicals.[45] Further, several international cultural organizations such as the Goethe-Institut, British Council and American library are located on the campus and open their libraries to students and public.[46][47][48] Lastly, all NaUKMA students can also use the Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine. CampusImage:Bohoyavlensky cathedral.jpg
Bohoyavlensky Cathedral of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. It was destroyed by Soviet authorities in 1935.[49]
Image:NaUKMA 1840.png
Mazepa building of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (left) and Bohoyavlensky cathedral (center) in about 1840.
Image:View of NaUKMA from Kontraktova square.JPG
Mazepa (left) and Kovnir (right) buildings of NaUKMA
The university occupies the grounds of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in the Podil neighborhood from Kontraktova Square to the Dnieper River.[50] The campus of NaUKMA is composed of a number of buildings constructed in the times of its predecessor institutions. The oldest buildings date from the 17th century, and include the Halshka Hulevychivna house and the old academic building also called the Mazepa building in honor of its financier Hetman Ivan Mazepa. The Mazepa building contains the congregation hall for ceremonial events, the Center for Contemporary Art, and the research library. In the same neighborhood there is the historical museum complex of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, although the building is currently undergoing renovation. The complex contains a sundial and the house of Halshka Hulevychivna, which was the first building of the Kyiv Brotherhood School. Another historical building called the bursa faces the Dnieper River and was used as a student dormitory during the time of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. Blahovishchenska (Annunciation) Сhurch built in 1740 for students is also on the NaUKMA campus. Most other buildings were constructed during the time of Kyiv Theological Academy with some additions made during the Soviet Union era. The dormitories are situated outside the main campus. An environmentally friendly office called the Green Office was recently opened at the Department of Environmental Studies at NaUKMA and has modern energy saving and environmentally friendly technology. The project was largely the initiative of students and is the first example of an office based on sustainable development in Ukrainian educational institutions.[51] University traditionsFollowing reestablishment, the NaKUMA academic community has attempted to restore the traditions of its predecessor.[14] However, during NaKUMA's current reincarnation, several new traditions have been founded. Every year on October 15 the school celebrates Academy day and NaUKMA students wash the monument of the noted Kyiv Mohyla alumnus philosopher Hryhori Skovoroda. This action is called clean Skovoroda. The monument of Skovoroda in front of the university is also decorated with a mortarboard during the yearly graduation ceremony which is held on June 28. Another tradition during the ceremony is to carry the university turtle named Alma around the new graduates who make wishes while touching her shell. A student tradition connecting the old Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and NaUKMA is theatrical performances called verteps. Verteps possibly were introduced by the students of the old Academy. Currently they are perfomed on different festive events. Lastly, it is a tradition to open each academic year with a welcome event for the new students, followed by a lecture by a renowned scientist, who is given an honorary professorship at the University.[52] Student lifeDespite the relatively small number of NaUKMA students (about 3000 in year 2006) there is a number of extracurricular activities on campus. Notable among the student organizations on campus are: the Student Council, the Christian Students Union, Mohyla Intellectual Club, the Student Brotherhood, the ecological club Zelena Hvylya, and the Youth Center for Humanities.[53] The NaUKMA student portal Bo.Net.Ua is an online platform for student and alumni communication. Sports courses are compulsory to NaUKMA students in their first and second years of study. These courses include elements of callisthenics, sport games (soccer, basketball, volleyball and swimming) and fitness excercizes. Additionally, there are a number of student sport groups ranging from Combat Hopak to Go.[54] Arts and music at NaUKMA are represented by the Center of Culture and Art and the Center for Contemporary Art.[55] Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in literature and popular culture
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